25 Days of Giving Day Twenty-One: Forgive and Forget

Everyone wants to be heard. It’s a natural, inherent desire that often has the power to lift you up, and can sometimes bring you down. The up? Kind words, personal validation, anything that lightens your load. The down? Meaningless conflict, petty arguments, self-righteous posturing that takes the air out of a room and returns…nothing.

The Giving Challenge for today is to Forgive and Forget, and the scope of that forgiveness is entirely up to you. Maybe it’s as simple as ignoring a Facebook comment that only ignites one side of a debate. Maybe it’s more difficult, like excusing a longstanding grudge that, when you look at it from the inside out, grew stale long before its expiration date.

Whatever you choose, there’s one thing, based on personal experience, that I know for sure. The greatest beneficiary of your gift will be you.

I saw this written on the backside of a bathroom stall at my son’s basketball tournament yesterday. Proof positive that inspiration can come from really strange places.

*If you’re wondering what happened to days nineteen and twenty? So am I.

I, Gemini Girl, have interrupted my non-existent programming to bring you the 25 Days of Giving Challenge. Please join me in my quest, over the next 25 days(ish), to make people happy. I’ll share stories of giving escapades that will be sure to wow, delight, or at least not annoy anyone who chooses to participate. Each Day of Giving will be conveniently brought to you via email if you follow this blog. And if you’re already a follower? Pass it onto your friends. If we work together we can change the world, or at least dramatically improve my hit ratio.

Helloooo G.G., Nice to read U again. I’ve just now stumbled unto your 25 days of giving extravaganza. Am reading through and catching up as best I can. Big “Like”!!! I can’t wait for the followup “25 days of Gimme” series. Not to mention the always popular “25 days of Holy-crap-this-can’t-be-my-post-holiday-credit-card-bill” series. 😉 Almost done with my year off FB, so I’ll be catcing up there soon also. All the best to you dear blogging queen. P.S. Go see “Wild”; Awesome movie. P.P.S. Go see “Tracks”; even awesomer movie. TTFN; talk soon!

I can’t tell you how nice it is to read your voice, Phillipe (does that make sense)? It’s like a yule log in the fire, or at least that hologrammish thing that you can put on TV screen to simulate a fire if you don’t have a fireplace. That’s cool too. Just warm, happy memories.

I take movie recommendations seriously and just wrote down yours. On a piece of paper. Proof positive of how much I like you.

Happy Holidays and thank you for the cornucopia of likes. Hope to catch up more in 2015 now that you’re re-entering the world of mid-40 year-old women posting late-night selfies in their bikinis. =p

This one I can do. In fact, it’s one I do a great deal. I don’t know if that says more about my niceness or more about that fact I find more things to take grudges over forcing me to have to forgive more often!